Saying GoodBye
by madladypoet
Summary: This is a short story based on the film I am Legend. Neville is burying his dog Sam and is flashing back to the events of three years ago. This story is a tribute to all doglovers out there.


"Saying Goodbye"

Taken from I am Legend—the Film

_"Daddy! Daddy!" yelled Marley, "This is the one I want!"_

_Neville walks over to the cage and bends down to look in at the dog. It was a small puppy. A German Shephard. Neville frowned and scratched his head. He looked at his daughter and shook his head. _

_"I don't know, Marley," said Neville, "German Shephards can be hard to train."_

_Marley frowned and pushed out her lower lip. Neville sighed. He recognized the warning signs. Marley usually pushed out her lower lip prior to crying which Neville couldn't stand. Looking around, he signaled to the pet shop clerk who promptly came over and opened the cage to let the Shephard out. The clerk took the dog over to the training center where dogs and their potential owners could get to know each other. Neville and Marley sat in the chairs while the clerk placed the dog on the floor and exited. The dog did not move or jump as most puppies do; instead she merely stared at Neville and Marley as if she was judging where they would be good owners. Marley got out of her chair and bent down to talk to the puppy. The dog offered her paw and instantly Neville fell in love._

The midday sun was beating down heavily on Neville as he began to dig the grave. Neville had to stop several times because tears kept blocking his vision. He always expected to die as he searched for a cure for infection, but he had put security protocols in place to ensure that Sam would never get hurt. He had failed her as he had failed at everything else in his life—protecting his family, finding a cure for infection, and looking after Sam. Neville felt his heart beating so fast that he could barely focus. He dropped the shovel and sat on the ground. He began crying again.

_Neville and Marley crept into the house with the new family dog. Both knew that Zoe would object to the German Shephard since she specifically told Neville that Marley needed a small dog because she was still so young. "Besides," argued Zoe, "we don't have the room for a big dog." The puppy began squirming in Neville's arms as Zoe walked in the living room. She gasped as she caught sight of the puppy and then paused to glare at Neville and Marley._

Neville could feel the sun shifting on his back. That meant that it was starting to move across the sky as it was beginning to set. He had to start back to work and began digging a grave. Neville figured the grave wasn't going to take too long since Sam was not a big dog, yet with every shovel of dirt Neville found himself hyperventilating. Fumbling nervously, he found a vial of Valium that he kept inside his jacket pocket. He opened the vial and swallowed a few capsules. Neville knew that the valium would take an hour to be absorbed by his system, so it wasn't going to help him as he buried Sam. Resuming digging, Neville felt himself filled with determination. He would avenge Sam's death. That would give his life meaning. He had failed at everything else, but he would not fail at getting revenge.

_Despite Zoe's objections, the puppy quickly became a big part of the family. It was Zoe's suggestion to call the puppy Samantha. Bewitched had been her favorite show growing up. "Besides," reasoned Zoe, "she looks like she possesses some magical powers." Indeed, Samantha, or Sam as Marley called her, was an unusual puppy. She did not require any household training, rarely barked unless provoked and displayed an innate intelligence in her relationship with the rest of the family. Marley was insistent that Sam sleep in her room and she rarely went anywhere without her puppy, which caused problems at school since Marley regularly tried to sneak Sam into school. "Daddy," Marley begged her father, "she's my friend; she has to come to school with me." Finally, Zoe and Neville got Marley to compromise. The puppy would stay at home during school, but Zoe would walk to school with the puppy and Marley, Zoe and Sam would go to the park. Some of Marley's happiest memories were spent with Sam at the park._

Neville finished digging close to 3 pm. The sun set in less than two hours and he had a great deal to do before then. Neville took a deep breath and picked up Sam's body. As gently as possible, he placed her body in the ground and began shoveling dirt over her. Finally, he completed her burial and placed a wooden cross over her grave. With his work complete, Neville stood over the grave wanting to say something. But he could not think of anything beyond "I'm sorry, Sam; I'm so sorry."

_Four months after getting Sam, infection began to spread quickly throughout Manhattan. The cure for cancer, which was considered the Holy Grail of medicine, had been found three months earlier in New York City, yet those cured quickly mutated into the infected and Neville had been placed in charge of finding a cure. Despite his best efforts, the virus had jumped from blood borne to airborne and the president announced martial law in New York City. Neville had 30 minutes to get his family out of the city._

Neville was making his way back to his car when he encountered a butterfly. For a moment, he choked up again. Sam always loved butterflies. She never chased them, but watched them fascinated as if she, herself, was trying to figure out how to fly. Throwing his shovel in the back of the SUV, Neville slammed the tailgate shut and contemplated his next move. He planned to take out as many infected as possible before dying himself, but what would be the best way to do it? Neville drove back home and went through his weapons.

_"Sam, you have to protect Daddy!" cried Marley as she handed her beloved dog to her father. "No, honey," shouted Neville over the sound of the helicopter blades, "daddy can't take the dog." But Marley was insistent and Sam ended up in Neville's arms as he moved away to wave good-bye to his family. Marley was crying and Zoe was trying to maintain a brave front as tears slid down her cheeks. Neville found himself crying too. He had no idea if he would see his family again, but he at least wanted to be sure that his family would be safe from the virus. A crash behind him caused Neville to turn around and see that the barricades were crashing as people panicked and were trying to escape. A group of people jumped on one of the helicopters as it was taking off wanting to escape. Neville and Sam looked on in horror as the helicopter careened out of control and crashed into the helicopter that held . . ._

Neville rigged ultraviolet light to the top of his SUV and put in most of his best weapons in the front of the car. He looked over at the seat that Sam always sat in. He felt strong and resolute. Neville suddenly smiled. The valium most be kicking in. Neville gunned the SVU. The sun was now almost set and as Neville put the SUV into gear. He was heading to the South Street seaport where he and Sam always went to wait for other survivors. Sam loved that seaport where she could play fetch and run free. Neville headed to the seaport at high speed. Tonight would be his last night on this earth. The last man on earth was going out in high style, he thought as he turned on the ultraviolet light. Good-bye Sam, Good-bye Marley, Good-bye Zoe, he whispered, I'll see you soon.


End file.
